Shock the Monkey: Piaggio reportedly launching lithium-powered electric Ape Calessino
Piaggio Ape - Click above for high-res image gallery
According to reports coming out of Europe, Italian scooter maker Piaggio has just unveiled a new fully electric version of its iconic Ape Calessino three-wheeler, a beast of burden normally powered by a 422cc diesel engine. Separating the new EV from its fossil-fueled variants is a new white paint job with burgundy doors and canvas top (not shown). The new electric Ape is powered by a lithium ion battery pack and an electric motor that reportedly allows for a range of up to 75 kilometers (just under 50 miles). A full recharge of the battery pack will take less than four hours, but that's surely dependent on the type of outlet the electric Ape's plugged into.
There's no indication on horsepower, torque or top speed that we've been able to suss out, but Piaggio is apparently claiming the battery pack is good for 800 recharge cycles. It seems an initial run of just 100 lithium-powered Apes are slated for production, all intended for European consumption. Want one? Better get out the checkbook – the lithium-powered Ape is expected to sell for €19,900 (over $30K in U.S. funds) plus Value Added Tax (VAT).
Gallery: Piaggio Ape
[Source: Faster and Faster]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ronEbear 2:12PM (7/28/2009)
Ape means bee in Italian. So "shock the monkey" is not an appropriate headline enhancer.
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coyo t 2:36PM (7/28/2009)
I would love this but at that price I simply can not.
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Mark Kiernan 3:08PM (7/28/2009)
WHY?
Who is this marketed to? Taxi drivers in Bangkok?
The price should have the decimal point one place to the left.
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Chris M 3:44PM (7/28/2009)
Considering the range and design, it probably is a NEV class vehicle, slow speed local driving only. Priced too high to match the competition, that may explain the limited production run. One can only hope that it will give them the experience they need to bring the costs down enough to compete with other NEVs.
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Ernie 5:30PM (7/28/2009)
A hundred Americans yelling "Who the hell would buy this!?!?!?" in 3... 2... 1...
This car is not for you. This is something that you would recognize if you had ever visited Europe, in particular places like France or Italy (or Switzerland, or Greece...), where cities, towns and villages have existed for nearly 3 thousand years, and they're still neither willing nor able (landowners generally being rich, influential, and few) to appropriate new land to widen roads to accomodate big cars. Simultaneously, the locals don't really have money to spend on big cars. Nor are they terribly interested in driving 300 km in a trip, or even for that matter, much outside of their own town.
In these places, gas cars exactly like this have been on the market for most of the past hundred years. As such, this is just an electric version of a current model. Its power, range, and speed (all of which any American wouldn't stand for for a minute) are all entirely appropriate for the expectations of the market they're aimed at.
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DasBoese 5:43PM (7/28/2009)
Yep. These vehicles are very iconic in many parts of Europe, having been used for much of last century, and not just generally speaking... in some cases the individual vehicles have been handed down through multiple generations.
After helping to rebuild the shattered economy of our continent post-WW2, they've become a symbol for small, local businesses, people getting by with what little they have. These things have always stood for reliable, efficient and cheap transportation, making them electric is a logical step.
Chris 11:44PM (7/29/2009)
$30,000? LOL. I kept hearing how affordable those battery powered vehicles would be "so affordable" in the future. I guess I'll keep waiting.
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